Joe Kavanagh's Music News

Irish comedian, Graham Norton has launched a scathing attack on Bono accusing him of being a hypocrite when it comes to matters of charity for his efforts to avoid paying Irish taxes. U2 recently moved their business operations to the Netherlands to avoid paying Irish royalty taxes. Norton intends to confront the singer on the issue, claiming: 'People like Bono really annoy me. He goes to hell and back to avoid paying tax. He has a special accountant. He works out Irish tax loopholes. And then he's asking me to buy a well for an African village. Tarmac the road outside your house, you tightwad! Or pay for a school in Ireland. I've never met Bono and now I probably never will. But if I do meet him I'll ask him because I think it's a really hard thing to justify. I pay a lot of tax. By most people's standards I am rich so I should pay my tax because I can afford it. When I didn't want to pay it was when I didn't have any money.' ...

It looks like another feud could be brewing between the Gallagher brothers of Oasis. In a recent interview with Gigwise.com, guitarist Noel, claimed he was sick of carrying the workload when it come to doing the band's PR. 'Because I'm so eloquent and Liam is the opposite of it - whatever that is - I always get nominated to do all the press interviews. I'm working from 11 in the morning 'til 4 in the morning and it's a pain in the arse for me. He gets to walk around in stupid clothes, swearing and getting p***ed. I'll be frank, if we didn't get paid as much as we do I probably wouldn't f***ing bother. I love performing and getting up on stage for an hour and a half, but being on tour with our kid is not a walk in the park. It's difficult 'cos he's always getting on my case for something or other. We are always not talking to each other.' I'm sure that everyone slaving away in factories for minimum wage are all broken up about that. Noel went on to talk about an occasion when he attempted to sign legendary Italian soccer player, Paulo Maldini, to play for his beloved hometown club of Manchester City. An inebriated Gallagher bumped into Maldini at a showbiz party a few years back and told the footballer that he would personally play his wages if the Italian agreed to play for City. Upon sobering up, Gallagher thought little more of the incident only to hear through his manager that Maldini was interested in the offer. 'I said to him in a drunken ramble if he promised to play for City I would personally give him GBP150,000 ($270,000) a week. My manager rang me to tell me he thought I meant it. I had to phone him to tell him I didn't.' It's a good job for Gallagher that he got out of it because at those rates, he would have gone through his estimated fortune of $45 million in only three years...

Pete Townshend was been left with egg on his face when he learned that one of the subjects of a new song by The Who about dead celebrities was actually still very much alive. According to reports, a new song titled: Mirror Door, on The Who's new album, which will be with their first since 1984, deals with the subject of dead celebrities including actress: Doris Day. A red-faced Townshend has since learned that Day is still very much alive, telling interviewers last week: 'I was absolutely convinced she was dead but then I went to the Internet and there she was, with a happening website.' According to reports, it is too late to alter the song because the album has already gone to pressing...

Hotly-tipped new UK-act Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. have seen their momentum hampered after an opportunist thief made off with their gear after a gig last week. A statement on the band's MySpace site read: "Life wouldn't be life without coming around to bite us on the arse from time to time. In Wales on Saturday I had 2 guitars - a Lowden f10 and an Avalon a210ce stolen, as well as Mikey's Yamaha cornet. If anyone finds anything matching these descriptions, cropping about on eBay/shops in the welsh area, please email sam@getcapewearcapefly.co.uk as these instruments are precious to us. Not only because of the financial implications, although all were insured, but one was my first guitar and they are also the instruments used on the album and thus hold a lot of sentiment. Any help will be well received. Thanks.' I don't mean to make light of it, but it takes a special type of thief to steal the gear of a band whose name was inspired by Superman. If a new band called Lex Luther crops up in the immediate future then I think we have a suspect...

Elton John revealed that he has become something of a therapist for James Blunt, as the latter attempts to deal with all the negative feedback that his been aimed at him recently. In an interview with Contactmusic.com, John stated: 'His only problem, and it's a nice problem, is that You're Beautiful was played so much that there was a kind of backlash. But that's the society we live in - a sound bite society. James gets very hurt by it. But I've told him, 'Look at the massive album sales, you've been number one in America, all the people at the concerts...'' I can be a small person, so at first a part of me was kind of pleased the thought of James Blunt suffering a little, especially when weighed against the amount of torment his songs have inflicted upon the rest of us. Then I was struck by the thought: 'Oh my God, imagine the kind of songs the fecker will write if he's depressed!' So, cheer up James, don't worry about it man. We all love you. If you'll excuse me now, I have to go take a shower.